POS0343 TREATMENT PERSISTENCE AND ADHERENCE AMONG PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS RECEIVING ABATACEPT OR TNF INHIBITORS USING US CLAIMS DATA
Authors: C. A. Wang, R. Wong, T. D. Kou, H. Zheng, K. Wittstock, V. Khaychuk, V. Patel
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2022)

Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic condition among children and teens 1 and contributes to a diminished quality of life. 2 Previous data underscore the potential for abatacept to improve health-related outcomes in patients with JIA after demonstrating poor responses to other DMARDs. 3 Patients with RA show greater persistence on abatacept vs TNF inhibitors (TNFi), and this should also be confirmed in patients with JIA. 4 Objectives To evaluate treatment persistence and adherence at 12- and 18-month follow-up in patients with JIA newly initiating either abatacept or a TNFi. Methods This analysis used data from the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus claims database from Jan 2008–Apr 2021. We identified patients with ≥ 1 claim of JIA diagnosis after Jan 2008, who were &lt; 18 years old at initial diagnosis, had ≥ 1 claim of abatacept or TNFi treatment (adalimumab, etanercept, golimumab) following diagnosis, had continuous enrollment in medical and pharmacy benefits for ≥ 12 months before index date (first prescription of abatacept or TNFi), and had 12 or 18 months’ continuous medical and pharmacy enrollment after index date. Patients receiving abatacept or TNFi treatment ≤ 12 months prior to index date and patients initiating combined abatacept + TNFi treatment on the index date were excluded. Specific outcomes included: discontinuation (absence of a new prescription for index treatment within the gap of 5× treatment half-life), persistence rate (proportion of patients continuing index medication without any gaps exceeding 5× treatment half-life), and treatment adherence (defined as medication possession ratio [MPR, proportion of follow-up period where medication supply is available] and proportion of days covered [PDC, proportion of follow-up period where a patient is covered by a given drug]). All outcomes were reported at 12 and 18 months. All statistical analyses are descriptive with the intent for hypothesis generation. Results There were 2847 patients (abatacept, n = 111; TNFi, n = 2736) at 12-month follow-up; fewer completed the 18-month follow-up (2403 patients: abatacept, n = 94; TNFi, n = 2309). At index date, treatment groups were similar for sex, geographic location, and comorbidities (Table 1). Numerically higher persistence was observed in patients prescribed abatacept compared with TNFi overall at both time points. Abatacept persistence was higher than etanercept but similar to adalimumab (Figure 1). At 12 months, the percent of patients with PDC ≥ 0.8 was 57% for abatacept, 51% for adalimumab, and 38% for etanercept, while MPR ≥ 0.8 was 63% for abatacept, 55% for adalimumab, and 42% for etanercept. Patients prescribed abatacept had numerically greater proportions of PDC ≥ 0.8 (abatacept, 48%; adalimumab, 40%; etanercept, 29%) and MPR ≥ 0.8 (abatacept, 53%; adalimumab, 44%; etanercept, 33%) at 18 months. Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients with 12-month follow-up data Characteristic Abatacept (n = 111) TNFi (n = 2736) Age, years, mean (SD) 14.4 (3.8) 12.6 (4.6) Female sex 89 (80.2) 1930 (70.5) Geographic region South 43 (38.7) 865 (31.6) Midwest 40 (36.0) 818 (29.9) West 9 (8.1) 408 (14.9) East 19 (17.1) 540 (19.7) Unknown 0 (0) 105 (3.8) Comorbidities Asthma 9 (8.1) 275 (10.1) COPD 11 (9.9) 323 (11.8) Cardiovascular disease 14 (12.6) 222 (8.1) Uveitis 14 (12.6) 321 (11.7) Iridocyclitis a 12 (10.8) 216 (7.9) CCI score, mean (SD) 0.58 (0.73) 0.46 (0.68) Data are shown as n (%) unless otherwise specified. a Subgroup disease under uveitis. CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Conclusion The present findings suggest that patients with JIA initiating abatacept treatment display numerically higher persistence and adherence compared with patients treated with TNFis at both 12- and 18-months’ follow-up. References [1]Prakken B, et al. Lancet 2011;377:2138–49. [2]Lovell DJ, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2015;67:2759–70. [3]Ruperto N, et al. Lancet 2008;372:383–91. [4]Han X, et al. J Health Econ Outcomes Res 2021;8:71–8. Acknowledgements This study was sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb. Medical writing and editorial assistance were provided by Ryan Miller, of Caudex, and were funded by Bristol Myers Squibb. Project analysis was provided by Akshay Vinod (Mu Sigma). Disclosure of Interests Ching-An Wang Consultant of: Novartis (used to work there as an external contractor from Jan 2016 to Apr 2021), Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Robert Wong Shareholder of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Tzuyung Douglas Kou Shareholder of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Hanke Zheng Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Keith Wittstock Shareholder of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Vadim Khaychuk Shareholder of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Vardhaman PATEL Shareholder of: Bristol Myers Squibb, Employee of: Bristol Myers Squibb